Automatic fire-valve



TATES ATENT @rrrcn.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,378, dated January 4, 1881.

Application filed August 30. 1880. (No model.)

- To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DANIEL O. STILLsoN, of Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Automatic Valve for Fire-Pipe, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a valve let-oft mechanism to be applied to a valve situated in a line of pipe or hose, said valve opening and allowing water or other tire-extinguishing fluid or gas toflow onto the fire, the opening being caused either by heat, an electric current, or by a pull-wire.

My invention consists in combining with the valve-stem a wedge which is inserted between the stem and a holding buttress, said wedge being held in place by an arm attached to a rocker-shaft which is held by a pawl, a stifl spring or weighted lever serving to throw the rocker-shaft and its arm back, thus withdrawing the valve-holding wedge whenever the pawl is thrown out of place, which it may be by the action of a thermo-lever, by a current of electricity, or by a pull-wire.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, the plane of the section being parallel to the plane of the elevation, Fig. 1.

My device can be applied to any ordinary valve. I have shown it as applied to a globevalve, A, having a valve, B, and stem C, arranged in the usual manner. This is to be attachedto any system of supply, either of water or other fire-extinguishing fluid or gas, and connected to a delivery-pipe, which may be provided with any desired distributing device which will be ett'ective in extinguishing or preventing fire.

Dis a packing-piece, screwed to the part A, and serves, in connection with the piece D", as packing and guide for the valve-stem 0. (See Fig. 2.)

E E E E is a housing made fast to the part D by clamping-screws c e, and serves to hold the retaining and let-off device for governing the valve B, which it does through the medium of the valve-stem O. The valve is held onto its seat by the wedge H and the frictionwheels H and H these wheels being attached, respectively, to the valve-stem G and thelever L, the lever L being pivoted at one end to the housing-upright E and held at its other end by the adjusting-screw L in the housing-upright E.

The wedge H is attached to the arm K of the rocker-shaft K, and is held in place by it in the following manner: The shaft K has upon it a pin, 7r, Fig. 1, against which the end I of the bent pawl P P rests and looks it in place. Against the holding action of the pawl P P a spring, M M, acts, the end of the spring resting on a pin, the tendency of the spring being to throw the rocker-shaft K around, so as to draw the wedge H back, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The weighted lever K is attached to the rocker-shaft K, to assist in turning the shaft, and thus withdrawing the wedge H.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The valve is set down onto its seat, and the rocker-shaft K and its arm K so turned as to force the wedge H to a position between the friction-wheels H H (See Fig. 2.) Then the whole-is locked bythepawlPP, actingthrough the pin 70, (see Fig. 1,) any desired amount of pressure on the valve B being obtained by the use of the adjusting-screw L". In case of fire the pawl P 1 is thrown out of engagement with the pin it. This action allows the spring M M and lever to act so as to withdraw the wedge H, and thus leave the valve B free to be opened by the pressure behind it, and sets the water to flowing to the desired place or places.

The unlocking movement of the pawl P P may be efi'ected automatically by the use of a thermo-bar, T, Fig. 1, or lever or spring, or by electrical action, or personally by the aid of a pull wire or chain.

The thermo expansion-bar T has one end fixed rigidly, while the other rests against a pin, T, on the pawl P P, and is adjusted to throw off the pawl when heated to a certain temperature.

WVhat I claim is 1. In a fire-valve device, the combination of the valve B, stem C, and lever L with the wed ge H and an operating mechanism, all working together substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a fire-valve device, the combination of the valve B, stem 0, and lever L with the wedge TOG H, arm K, rocker-shaft K, springM M, and I weighted lever K and pawl P P with the pawl P P, all operating together substantially I theruio expansion-bar 'l, substantially as de- 10 as described, and for the purpose setforth. I scribed, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the rocker-shaft K, T

5 spring M M, and pawl P P with the thermo DANIEL STILLSOB expansion-bar T, substantially as described, Witnesses: and for the purpose set forth. I HELEN M. FEEGAN,

4. The combination of the rocker-shaft K, FRANK Gr. PARKER. 

